Mail-pouch receiving and delivery apparatus for railway-cars.



C. W. BROUGH'TON. MAIL POUCH RECEIVING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR- RAILWAY CARS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.3,1908.

920,723. I I Patented May 4, 1909.

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'0. W. BROUGHT ON. MAIL POUCH RECEIVING AND DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3,1908. I I

920 ,7 23 Patented May 4, 1909.

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UNETED STATES @FiGEL GHAUNGEY W. BROUGHTON, OF CARLTON, ILLI NOIS.

MAIL-POUCH REGEIViNG AND DELIVERY APPARATUS FOR RAILYJAY-CAR S.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knonn that I, Cn-a'oncnvi i BROUGH- TON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carlton, in the county of Dekalo and State of illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Mail-Pouch iteceiving and Delivery Apparatus for Railwaytars, of wnich the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for delivering a mail pouch from a mail car, or receiving a pouch upon the car from a station while the car is passing, and it is designed more especially as an improvement upon the electro-magnetic apparatus for this purpose shown and described in my United States Patent No. 880,008, granted February 25th, 1908, to which reference may be had for understanding the features shown herein common to both devices.

In my prior invention the electro-magnet or electro-responsive devices upon the car were designed for holding the pouch receiving or delivery arms in the required position were fed with electric current from a storage battery or source of current carried upon the car itself, and necessitated a constant drain upon such source during the entire time said electro-responsi-ve devices were energized or active.

One of the important objects of my present invention is to provide improved and simple means whereby this objection may he obviated and the electro-responsive' devices upon the car held in the position in which they are placed by the electric current by mechanical ieans and the circuit thcrethrough thereafter broken it hereby this loss of electric energy will be avoided.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means whereby the pouch re ceiving or delivery arms at one side of the car may be utilized while the car is traveling in one direction, and those on the other side utilized during the opposite direction of travel.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved and eflicient formof combined delivery and receiving arms for supporting the pouch whereby the same arm may be utilized either for receiving the pouch while the pouch and the arms are moving one with relation to the other, or for supporting the pouch either upon the car ready for de- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 3, 1908.

Patented May 4, 1909'.

Serial No. 446,541.

livery to the station, or at the station ready for delivery to the car, without the necessity of interchanging the arms as heretofore.

lt ith a view to the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of certain other objects which will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty which will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a mail pouch provided with these improvements. Fig. 2 is a detail side elevation of the pouch support ing arm for holding the pouch on the car preparatory to delivering the same to the station or for receiving the pouch from the station, the dotted lines showing the position of the station arms with relation to the arms on the car. Fig. 3' is an end view of the pouch supporting arms showing the pouch in place. Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of the device for supporting and catching the pouch at the station. Fig. 5 is a detail end elevation with parts brokenaway and parts in section showing one of the controlling levers.

In this invention, like in my aforesaid patent, the pouch shown at 1 which is to be delivered from the station to the car 2, is supported at the station by an' arm or support 3, the pouch being provided with rings or hooks 4 whereby it may be suspended on its arm 3 and held thereon against accidentaldisplacement by a yielding stop finger 5 pivoted to the end of the arm and held in a deflected position by a spring 6 or any other suitable means preferably arranged inside the arm so as not to interfere with the sliding .movement of the hooks or rings 4, and as the car 2 passes the pouch thus suspended, it is struck and attracted by powerful magnets 7 carried on the car.

In my former invention the magnets 7 were separate and independent from the pouch supporting arms 3 and were interchangeable witheach other in an oscillatory head shown in my present invention at 8, so that when it was desired to receive the pouch upon the car, after utilizing the head 8 for delivering one to the station, it was necessary to remove the delivery arms 3- from the head 8 and insert the receiving magnets 7 in their stead. According to my present invention, however, the arms 3 for supporting the pouch by means of the rings or books 4 are combined with t 1e magnets 7 and both are supported upon the oscillatory head 8 at one and the same time. The pouch supporting means at the station, as in my former patent, is a duplicate of the magnet 7 and arm 3, and mounted. upon the standard or post 9 having a rotary head 10 in which the arms and magnets are suitably secured. The magnets 7 and arm 3 on the car are so arranged that when they are passing the station, the projecting arm 3 will extend over the magnet 7 at the station, and the arm 3 of the station apparatus will overlap the magnet 7 on the car. Consequently, should the mail pouch 1 be supported on the arm 3 at the station while the car is passing, the magnet 7 on the car will strike an armature 11 from which the pouch 1 is suspended, and by being attracted by the magnet on the car, will be pulled from the arm 3 at the station and supported until the attendant on the car can cause the rotary head 3 on the car to turn inwardly to bring the pouch within the interior, when the circuit through the magnet on the car will be broken by any suitable means, such as described in my aforesaid patent. On the other hand, should it be desired to deliver the pouch from the car to the station, it would be supported by means of the hooks 4 upon the arm 3 on the car device, and when it reached the station apparatus, its armature 11 would collide with the magnet 7 of the station apparatus and be attracted and held by that magnet as the arm 3 of the car apparatus pulled away from the rings or hooks 4. By combining the arm 3 with the magnet 7, and having the pouch supporting devices on the car thus overlap the pouch supporting devices at the station, it will be seen that the necessity for interchanging the pouch supporting arms and pouch supporting magnets, as heretofore, will be obviated and the device will be greatly simplified.

In my former patent the opposite side of the car was provided with another one of these rotary heads 8 adapted to support the plain arms carrying the pouch to be delivered. to the station, or a magnet for receiving the pouch from the station, but according to the former arrangement, the rotary heads at both sides of the car operated in the same direction, so that the car could not be conveniently utilized for receiving from or de livering to a post on either side when going in either direction. In my present invention, the opposite side of the car is provided with an. oscillatory head 8*, which is the same in construction and operation as the head 8, excepting that the pull of the springs 25 throws the head toward one end of the car, while the pull of the springs 24 of the head 8 throws the latter toward the opposite end of the car. This change simply involves an obvious rearrangement of the various pulleys 22, 28 and 23, 29, around which the cables 21 of the springs 25 pass to their connections with the head 8.

The magnet 30 is the one that holds the heads 3 and 8 in the running position close to the side of the car, so that the pouch carrying or receiving arms 3 will not be in danger of striking objects along the right of way. The magnet 30 controls or attracts an armature 31 pivoted to one end of an armature bar 32 capable of sliding lengthwise of the aXis of magnet 30. The armature 31 is drawn toward the bar 32 by a spring 33, so that the bar 32 is capable of moving still further after the armature 31 has come in contact with the end of the magnet 30. This 32 is connected to one or both of the cables which operate the heads 8, 8 to pull them inward. at 34 in connection with the end of the bar 32 by means of a hook 35, while the other cable 36, which controls the head 3, is shown with its hook 37 detached from the bar 32. As described in my former patent, the bar 32 is given a further movement after the armature 31 comes in contact with the end of the magnet 30, by a magnet 33 which acts upon an arm 39 projecting from the bar 32 and forming a second armature, thereby imparting a further inward pull to that one of the heads 8, 8" which is connected to the bar 32, for opening the door inward, and delivering the pouch and pouch carrying arms or magnets into the car. In order, however, that the batteries 40 which supply the magnets 30, 38 with current may not be drained of their power while the heads 8, 8 are in the running position, the bar 32 is provided with a notch 41 into which engages a dog 42 when the bar is moved far enough by the magnet 30 to pull the heads 8, 8 into the running position, thereby looking the bar 32 against re turn movement until the dog 42 is released. As the dog 42 swings into its locked position, it automatically breaks the circuit through the magnet 30 by pressing at one end against a switch 43 arranged in one of the circuit wires 44, 45, which. places magnet 30 in circuit with iiXed contacts 46, 47. These contacts, when the car is between stations and the heads 3, 3" are in the running position, are placed. in circuit with the batteries 40 by ivoted brushes 48, 49 respectively engaging rmtween the contacts 46, 47, and elongated contact surfaces 50, 51 respectively on the terminals of the batteries, all as described in detail in my aforesaid patent.

When the brushes 48, 49 move outward, and away from the contacts 46, 47, however, they close a circuit 52, 53 through a solenoid or magnet 54 by coming in contact with fixed contacts 55, 56, and this solenoid or magnet 54, when its core 57 is influenced, pulls the One of these cables is shown dog 42 out of engagement through the intermediary of a connection 58, thereby allowing the switch 43 to close and permitting the bar 32 to return to its former position underthe influence of a spring 59, as described in my former patent.

What I claim is:

1. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a movable support for carrying or receiving a mail pouch on a car, an electro responsive device for moving the said support to its retracted position, means for locking said support in its retracted position, and means for automatically breaking the circuit through said electro responsive device when the support is locked in its retracted position.

2. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a pivoted support for a mail pouch upon a car, an electro responsive device for holding said support in its retracted position, a dog for locking said support in its retracted position, means for automatically breaking the circuit of said electro responsive device by the locking movement of said dog, a second electro responsive device for releasing said dog, embodying a circuit, and means for alternately closing the circuits of the two said electro responsive de vices.

3. In a device for the purpose described, the combination of a pivoted support for a mail pouch on a car, an electro magnet operatively connected with said support for holding it in its retracted position, an armature bar having an armature influenced by said magnet, a dog arranged to engage and lock said bar when the support is in its retracted position, a circuit for said magnet having a switch, means for opening said switch when the dog is locked, having operative connection with said armature, an electro responsive device operatively connected with said dog for releasing it, and means for automatically closing the circuit through said electro responsive device as the car approaches the station.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two suhscrihing Witnesses, on this 30th day Or July A. n. 190

CHAUNOEY w. BROUGHTON.

O. H. SEEM. 

